Grantmakers in Health President and CEO Cara V. James issued the following statement after attending the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Wednesday, September 28, 2022:
“Grantmakers In Health (GIH) was pleased to participate in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. We applaud the administration for bringing together a diverse, cross-sector coalition to elevate the critical issues of hunger, nutrition, and health, as well as releasing an ambitious vision for ending hunger and diet-related disease by 2030. We are heartened to see bipartisan engagement to end hunger. As several speakers noted yesterday, no American should go to bed hungry. The conference was energizing, but we know our shared work to advance better health for all extends far beyond one day or one gathering.
“Across the country, foundations and corporate giving programs are supporting efforts aligned with the conference’s goals and raising the visibility of policies and programs that advance food access and justice. Many Funding Partners have supported efforts to end hunger for many years and continue to do so. Several other GIH Funding Partners recently announced commitments to help end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030. These include the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, which will launch a $3.5 million effort to increase access to healthy food and grow the “food as medicine” movement in North Carolina; Nemours Children’s Health, which will expand access to donation programs and educational tools to reduce food insecurity and health disparities; and Novo Nordisk, which will invest $20 million in locally-led initiatives to improve access to healthy foods and expand its projects to address upstream barriers.
“The 2023 Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, Advancing Philanthropy’s Commitment to the Long Game, will specifically address philanthropy’s need to make the long-term commitments necessary for eliminating hunger and other ongoing health issues. GIH looks forward to continuing the conversation and working with our Funding Partners and colleagues across all sectors as we continue working towards our shared commitment to better health for all.”
Cara V. James, President and CEO, Grantmakers In Health
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About GIH
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations, corporate giving programs, and other philanthropic organizations improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Observing its 40th anniversary in 2022, GIH has developed programming, provided technical assistance, and hosted convenings to help funders learn, connect, and grow.
Contact
Jeff Barrus
202.460.4710
jbarrus@gih.org